About

“One is the ‘Scum F**k’ side, a snarling eye for controversy, like the time he appeared to eat a cockroach and hang himself in a 2011 video for ‘Yonkers’. But the other half of Tyler is all beauty and free-thinking, and his ‘Flower Boy’ side takes centre stage on this fourth album. Backed by a supporting cast of R&B superstars and bright newcomers, it’s a record of long, lazy summers; sitting back and staring at the clouds. Star guests provide almost as much of the record’s appeal as Tyler himself. He’s handpicked acts who can evoke a very specific emotion – a balance between tranquillity and loneliness. Frank Ocean gives his usual dose of zen on ‘Where This Flower Blooms’. Rex Orange County, a little-known 19-year-old from Surrey, provides breezy vocals on ‘Foreword’ and ‘Boredom’. Estelle (remember her?) makes an unlikely comeback on ‘Garden Shed’.” – NME

“a collage of memories and daydreams that trades bratty subversion for reflection and self-improvement. He probes the things that shaped his psyche—loneliness, isolation, and disorientation—and focuses on outgrowing friendships, balancing the pull of nostalgia and the necessity for growth. Not only is Flower Boy Tyler’s most trenchant work, it’s his most inclusive: “Find Your Wings”: The Album, gentle and liberating. “Tell these black kids they can be who they are,” he raps on “Where This Flower Blooms,” as he grows into the artist he’s always longed to be, and perhaps always was.” – Pitchfork

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